County to offer flu shot

Staff Report

September 27, 2013

Surry County Health and Nutrition Center is now offering flu vaccines in order to better prepare Surry County citizens for the 2013-2014 flu season. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommend that anyone over 6 months of age get a flu vaccine yearly as a first precaution against the upcoming flu season.

Flu seasons are often unpredictable, with different types of the virus appearing each year. The flu vaccine is created to protect us from what research indicates are the three types most likely to cause illness and complications during this flu season. It is important for everyone to get vaccinated every year, even if you received a vaccine in previous years. This small precaution can boost the body’s immunity against the influenza virus, as well as, protect against different, but related viruses.

While everyone should get a flu vaccine, it is especially important for those who are more susceptible to flu-related complications. This may include children under 5 years of age, adults older than 65, pregnant women, and people living with medical conditions such as asthma, lung disease, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease, and/or have weakened immune systems.

Surry County Health and Nutrition Center will be offering flu vaccines on a walk-in basis, Monday through Friday from 8:15 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. The maximum cost of the vaccine for those with or without insurance is $35.

Flu Vaccine: Myth or Fact?

Myth or Fact? The flu vaccine causes the flu.

Myth—

There are two kinds of flu vaccines: one made with dead flu virus, and one prepared with live, non-infectious virus. Neither is capable of reproducing in the human body. If someone says they got sick after receiving their flu vaccine, they were likely already infected or developed another viral infection.

Myth or Fact? Although I have already had the flu this year, I should still get vaccinated.

Fact—If you have already had the flu this year, it is still important to get your flu vaccine. The vaccine protects against multiple types of the flu, therefore making it less likely for you to get the flu again.

Myth of Fact? The flu shot is 100% effective.

Myth—According to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), those who received the 2012-2013 vaccine were 62 percent less likely to get the flu.

For more information on the 2013-2014 flu vaccine, please call Surry County Health and Nutrition Center at (336) 401-8400.